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Archive for September 2009

On keeping kids home from school Tuesday

Below is an email I just sent to our local Glenn Beck group, of which I am a member. Of course, my aim is to get a few of those parents to actually listen to an entire Obama address, unfiltered by right-wing pundits. It might be the first time for many of them, and I’m betting a lot of them will be astonished to find they agree with everything he says. But, FWIW, here is my message:

Hello all,

I hope you’ll forgive my $.02 here, as I have never had kids and never will, but I do have some thoughts on some parents’ plans to keep their kids out of school Tuesday on account of Obama’s address.

I think those who do keep their kids home are doing the kids and themselves a great disservice. The first day of school is where friendship cliques begin to form, and where kids begin to figure out the teacher’s style and expectations, and what the year has in store for them. All the kids are on the same footing that first day, and anybody who comes in on the second day will already be behind the power curve, having to play catch-up. I don’t feel this is the right way to begin a challenging school year.

Also, it sends the wrong message: to fear dissenting opinions rather than hearing them out and developing a sane, rational rebuttal based on facts. This critical thinking skill will serve them lifelong. What better opportunity for them to start developing it?

A better option, in my opinion, is to go to school with your children that day. This gives you a chance to meet the teacher, the other kids, and most likely a few other parents, because you won’t be the only one. It can also serve as a great springboard for discussion, as you can sit down with your children later and pick their brains: “What stood out most for you in the speech? What does that mean to you? Does it fit with what you believe? What alternatives might be better?” etc. This kind of discussion could give you great insight into your children’s worldview and how equipped they are to think for themselves.

Just my opinion. I welcome any comments, of course.

Fighting Dirty

Growing up, I was taught to do the right thing. Don’t steal, or lie, and never ever hurt or judge others. Although it sounds as if I was raised in a christian home, I was not. In fact I grew up with a certain amount of disdain for organized religion.

We were Episcopalian, but then one day Father Van Sly (really) visited my mother when she was eight and one half months pregnant with me. He was very concerned that my mother had not been to church recently and told her if she missed another Sunday he would excommunicate her.

She did not flip him the bird to his face, but I heard the story many times over my life. My parents quit the church soon after this incident.  

reality television?

I know, a lot of you don’t think reality television can get an audience this season, given the entertaining realities being broadcast from political rallies, women’s health clinics, churches, talk shows, and cable news interviews, but let me tell you, this stuff just inspires game show producers, and they have some great shows coming soon, to the small screen next to your bed.

Keep these under your hats, dear Mooses, they’re supposed to be an October surprise. But, just happens that an intrepid investigative reporter who knows how to uncover stuff has leaked them to yours truly.

Here they are:

My fax to Harry Reid

For your comments/criticism/enjoyment/whatever:

Dear Senator Reid,

I am one of many progressive Independent voters who are becoming increasingly worried at what we see as the erosion of support for a public option among our lawmakers. The vexing part is, we cannot understand why. We currently have a Democratic White House, a huge House majority, a healthy Senate majority, and 78% public support for it! Yet we are afraid that those charged with crafting a bill are caving to special interests, which is NOT what we voted for last November! Americans overwhelmingly voted – and not just voted, but pounded pavement, burned up phone lines, made signs and flyers and buttons at our own expense, held meetings, and, like me, became very involved in the political process for the first time in our lives. Politics is now in my blood, and I am still in the fight. As a veteran whose health care is fully covered by the VA, I have no personal stake in this issue, but it is very important to me because this crisis threatens our economy and the very fabric of our collective lives.

The only way to true reform is a robust public option. “Co-ops” just won’t be powerful enough to negotiate with providers and drug companies. Besides that, even Group Health – the model currently being touted – took 60 years to develop. We don’t have that long to wait. Americans are losing their homes, their livelihoods, and indeed their lives due to medical costs. Our nation has become a worldwide laughingstock, as other countries cannot understand why we seem to be trying to kill ourselves!

If the bill that comes out of Congress this fall does not contain a robust public option, I predict massive Democratic losses in 2010, and Obama will become a one-term president. I, for one, promise to support the opponent of any lawmaker who votes against the public option, whether they represent my state or not. That’s how strongly I feel about this issue, and I am one of millions.

Democrats need to stand up against the lobbyists and special interests NOW, and do what’s right for the American people. You know what’s right, regardless of what the right-wing media pawns are feeding a fear-conditioned populace. Please do it. As soon as President Obama signs a bill containing the public option, to be enacted immediately (not in 2013!), his approval rating will soar and Democrats will find renewed support among the people. If the bill Congress sends him doesn’t measure up, it will only give Republicans the ammunition they need to paint Democrats as weak and unable to pass a bill even with an across-the-board majority.

Get your Senators in a room, shut the door, sit them down, and lay it out for them. Get Ed Schultz in there if you have to – he has offered his services if that’s what it takes. Just get it done. Our nation is looking to you – don’t let us down.

Respectfully,

There are reasons why Obama's Health Care Reform will go through…

Robert Creamer wrote a really good piece in the HuffPo  called: Why Health Insurance Reform Will Pass This Fall — It’s the High Political Ground.  I direct you to it since it blows a hole… no, four holes… in the stuff Morning Joe and his friends were putting out this morning.

The basic points (read the article for the expansions):

1). Most Americans – including swing voters – can’t stand the health insurance industry.

2). The Obama Administration will use every ounce of its political capital to win this battle.

3). As the vote grows closer, many moderate Democrats will begin to realize the price they will pay personally if health insurance reform fails.

4). Finally, the pundits have ignored a critically important new development : the Obama base has been energized.

My Baby Brother's Optimism

As I write, I am sitting in Fiumincino Airport in Rome waiting for my flight back to New York, but I do not want to get on that plane. I do not want to accept the reason I am going home. You’ll excuse me if this diary sounds rather incoherent.

Yesterday morning I was awaken to news that shattered my otherwise quiet life. My little brother, with whom I tirelessly worked with on last year’s campaign in Virginia and North Carolina, with whom I celebrated last year’s election victories, and with whom I have always had a close relationship that began when, at age 5, my mother sat me on the couch and placed him, as a newborn, in my arms, collapsed and died on the front stoop of the Queens home we grew up in. My father, the only person in the family who can manage a word, tells me he died at age 25 of a severe asthma attack he suffered after running home from a friend’s house. He had always had a bad asthma problem.

Wednesday September 2, 2009. The Day in Tubes

I have been a bit obsessed with Versus over the past few days. They are not posting all of their tubes at YouTube any longer, which bums me out. They have a couple at their website I would really like to post, but cannot figure out how. Technotard here.

This one takes me back to the last few months of the bush years.  

How many minutes until the 2010 elections?

TPMtv is back. Sort of. I still haven’t seen a Day all week:~( No pundit points here, but two clips that stretch across a chasm of disagreement.

Gingrey is an Asshole.

Trumka is not.

The Lounge: I'm not good people

Photobucket

Let’s get that out of the way right now. I’m not good people.  I have deliberately participated in the promulgation an Interwebs meme, and I have laughed heartily at it.  

Tuesday September 1, 2009 The Day in Tubes

As it still must be summer vacation, I have had to look back and out again for new material. I was digging around in Versus and found this oldie but goodie.

If you like their stuff, send them some love from the Moose. Hell, send ’em money, everybody needs money.

Another episode of pundit points. How many points did Representative Weiner get on Maria Bartiromo and how many did he miss.

Actually he did rather well. I cannot stand Maria. Oh and TPMtv, where are you? I am really jonesin’ for more…

Backlash Rising

Decent affordable and universal health care coverage is an issue very important to me. While I have had health care coverage for most of my life, I have had my life utterly destroyed over the past two years by private insurance.

I went from having a good job, to becoming disabled, losing my health care insurance, and finally losing my disability insurance; because they decided that I was ‘all better’ early last spring. Since that time, I have lost my home and pretty much everything else. I am completely dependent upon the kindness of my partner, who continues to care for me in the best way she can, but the strain is beginning to crack and crumble what little I have left.

I have nothing but debt, my application to SSDI has been denied twice (normal procedure, from what I have been told) and I am almost utterly unable to fight for what I need.

I guess my personal story is not that important and I really do not want anyone to feel sorry for me. I am currently getting help through the county I live in, and although it is very minimal, $200.00 in cash and $200.00 in food stamps, I again have health care. Problem is those small and great forms of assistance are now in jeopardy as our governor has decided I am getting too much help. The general assistance will be cut in January and I am uncertain as to whether I will be able to continue to get Medicaid.